ISLAMABAD: Trouble was brewing on Pakistan’s eastern and western borders simultaneously as the Foreign Office diplomatically took on both Kabul and New Delhi.
“The fencing along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border is being done to address Pakistan’s serious security concerns and is fully in accordance with the established norms of international law, without encroaching upon Afghan territory,” said the Foreign Office when a report in the Afghan media said Pakistan was conducting ‘illegal’ fencing of the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.
The Foreign Office said the Afghan side would be well advised to engage on border matters through the relevant institutional mechanisms to address any misconceptions.
Regrettably, Pakistan’s suggestion for conducting joint topographic surveys had not been positively responded to by the Afghan side. “Pakistan respects the territorial integrity of Afghanistan and conducts its relations with the brotherly country in accordance with the principles of UN Charter and expects reciprocity from the Afghan side”, added the statement.
Meanwhile, a senior Indian diplomat was summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday to register Pakistan’s strong protest over the ceasefire violations by the Indian occupation forces along the Line of Control (LoC) on 12th August 2020, resulting in serious injuries to two innocent civilians. Owing to indiscriminate and unprovoked firing by the Indian occupation forces in Jandrot Sector of the LoC, 40-year-old Shakeela Bibi w/o Muhammad Rafeeq and 12-year-old Ayesha Kausar d/o Muhammad Rafeeq, residents of Village Fanjot, sustained serious injuries.
“The Indian occupation forces along the LoC and the Working Boundary (WB) have been continuously targeting civilian populated areas with artillery fire, heavy-caliber mortars and automatic weapons. This year, India has committed 1961 ceasefire violations to date, resulting in 16 shahadats and serious injuries to 160 innocent civilians”, the Indian diplomat was reminded.
Condemning the deplorable targeting of innocent civilians by the Indian occupation forces, it was underscored that such senseless acts were in clear violation of the 2003 Ceasefire Understanding, and were against all established humanitarian norms and professional military conduct. “These egregious violations of international law reflect consistent Indian attempts to escalate the situation along the LoC and are a threat to regional peace and security. It was added that by raising tensions along the LoC and the WB, India cannot divert attention from the grave human rights situation in the Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IOJ&K),” pointed out the Foreign Office.
The Indian side was called upon to respect the 2003 Ceasefire Understanding, investigate this and other such incidents of deliberate ceasefire violations and maintain peace along the LoC and the WB. The Indian side was also urged to allow the United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) to play its mandated role as per the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) Resolutions.
Again on the western border the Foreign Office stated that on the night of 8th August, a 17 year old civilian, Bero Mal, was shot dead by Indian Border Security Forces in Nagarparkar Sector. “This condemnable killing of the mentally challenged Pakistani Hindu comes in the backdrop of Indian misinformation and propaganda campaign against Pakistan including the so-called ‘infiltration’ across the border. Killing a mentally challenged Pakistani Hindu and crying ‘infiltration’,” speaks volumes about the credibility of false Indian claims,” added the Foreign Office.
Pakistan stated that baseless Indian propaganda cannot divert attention from India’s internal issues, the treatment of minorities in India and the unacceptable situation in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir.